Harry Potter and the Purification Device
by CPO Backstreet
Summary: Part 4 of my post-epilogue series. It's a year on from Harry and Hermione's wedding and their life is taking another twist. And then the Death Eaters who escaped from Azkaban emerge from hiding, with a plan to reshape the world of magic to their own ideology...
1. Chapter 1:A Life Full of Surprises

**Yes, it's the sequel that absolutely no-one asked for. Which, given the number of sequels people have asked for, is a strange thing for me to be writing. But I set all this in place a while ago and I'm determined to bring it to some sort of ending. And hopefully there'll be people out there who enjoy reading this. If you're new, reading of the three previous stories is recommended.**

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CHAPTER ONE: A Life Full of Surprises

"I absolutely refuse to be pregnant,"Hermione Potter announced in a loud, clear voice.

Her husband Harry was sat on their bed as she paced the room. "I don't think it works like that,"he ventured. Hermione turned and gave him a glare that would probably have subdued anyone who didn't know her well enough. Harry waved his wand vaguely in her direction. "We can do the test again if you like?"

Hermione gave a deep sigh and sank onto the bed next to him. "I think we both know what it would say. How exactly did we get ourselves into this mess?"

"Well, you didn't remember who I was for the first nine months we were married. I guess we've been making up for it ever since." Harry gave a silent thanks that the door locking and silencing charms they'd cast since the children had been home for the holidays had worked.

"At our age, you'd think at least one of us would have remembered the correct contraceptive charms."

"We're only forty-two,"Harry protested. "People have children older than that."

"Harry, we've got five children between us. James is about to start his last year at Hogwarts. We're going to be nearly sixty when this one graduates. I thought we were past all this."

"Yeah, me too,"Harry admitted. "But can't we be a bit happy about it?"

Hermione met his gaze. Her eyes sparkled for a moment, a slight smile forming on her lips. "I do like the idea of having a baby with you, Harry. I'm not sure how anyone else will feel about it but…yes, it's not all bad news." She gripped his hand. "But can we keep it to ourselves for the moment?"

Harry nodded, wondering how his children would react, how her children would react…perhaps most of all, how Ron would react. Hermione's ex-husband had largely accepted that she and Harry were together but it was hard to imagine him being happy about this one. Not for the first time, he was forced to reflect on the fact that once upon a time Ron had been closer to him than anyone, a friendship that was now in the past, even if they did still manage to work together.

"We'll keep it to ourselves for the moment,"he agreed.

* * *

When they came downstairs, Harry's three children – James, Albus and Lily – were already in the kitchen. Lily waved an envelope excitedly. "We just got our Hogwarts letters. Can you get my books list sorted?"

"Sure,"Harry agreed. Not so long ago, Lily would have been desperate to go herself but this would be her fourth year at Hogwarts and the novelty had apparently worn off.

Albus was sorting through his own envelope. He took in the contents and gave a broad grin. "I'm Quidditch captain, Dad! Like you and Mum!" He broke off and looked at James guiltily, suddenly remembering that his older brother had been on the team longer than him. "Sorry."

James shrugged with feigned indifference. "It's okay. They're not going to make the beater captain, are they? You'll be good at it." He shook his own envelope and a pin dropped out.

There was silence as everyone realised what the pin was. Albus and Lily stared at James in an astonishment that was only matched by James' own. Even Hermione gave a small gasp of shock. Harry just smiled at his son, immensely proud. The death of Ginny, the children's mother, had affected them all in different ways but in James' case it had been the catalyst to him turning into a fine young man.

"Head Boy,"James said at last. "They've made me Head Boy."

* * *

Even though he enjoyed having the children around, Harry was somewhat relieved to be taking them to Kings Cross for their trip on the Hogwarts Express. The fact that Hermione was suffering from morning sickness was becoming increasingly hard to hide and he was certain the children would notice something before too long.

When the five of them arrived on the platform, they quickly caught sight of Ron Weasley with his and Hermione's son Hugo. Hugo gave Hermione a quick hug and greeting before he and Lily started chattering about what they were going to get up to that year.

"Where's Rose?"Hermione asked.

Ron gestured down the platform. Hermione followed the gesture to where her daughter was having a lengthy kiss with her boyfriend Scorpius Malfoy. Hermione smiled to herself and decided not to interrupt.

James looked around the platform for his own girlfriend, Emily Longbottom. Finally, he caught sight of her with her family. He hurried over and gave her a kiss of greeting before awkwardly turning to her older brother, his friend Martin. "Hi, mate."

Martin's eyes drifted to the pin on his friend's collar. "The rumours are true then. At least it'll annoy Brian Higgs. Who do you think Head Girl is, Angela?"

"Don't know,"James answered, thinking of how the two Gryffindor prefects from their year would react to the news. "Guess I'll find out."

Emily linked her arm with him. "Well it's well-deserved."

"Who was Head Boy the year you were Head Girl, Mum?"Lily asked.

It took a moment for Hermione to realise Lily was addressing her. She'd started calling her Mum three months previous but she still wasn't used to it. "Ritchie Coote." She looked puzzled for a moment. "No idea what happened to him."

Neville and Luna, Martin and Emily's parents, were standing by the entrance to one of the carriages. "You'd better hurry up and get on,"Neville called out. "I don't want to have to give you detention for being late." Martin grimaced. Having his father as one of his teachers had always been a disadvantage.

Lily gave Hermione and Harry a quick hug. "Bye, Mum. Bye, Dad."

"Bye, Aunt Hermione,"Albus echoed. "Dad."

James came over to give Harry a hug then made to enter the carriage with his friends. Emily stopped him. "Aren't you going the wrong way?"

James suddenly remembered he had to be in the prefect carriage, ready to chair the meeting on the train. He blushed slightly and headed off in that direction. "We'll be with you in a minute,"Albus called.

It was at that point that Martin remembered that Albus, Rose, Emily and Scorpius, the other members of the group who were in the fifth year or above, were all prefects, meaning he was the only one who would be left with the younger ones. He glanced at Hugo and sighed. "I have got to get me some less overachieving friends."


	2. Chapter 2: Struggling with New Roles

**Well, I got a few follows and favourites so thank you to those people!**

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CHAPTER TWO: Struggling with New Roles

James made his way through the corridors of the prefect carriage, trying to look as though he knew what he was doing, scared silly of one of the new fifth year prefects coming along and catching the new Head Boy looking as if he didn't know what he was doing. Which, in truth, he didn't: He'd never gone near the carriage before, never had any sort of position of authority.

"Two doors down on the right,"a voice said quietly in his ear. James looked round and found Neville standing there. He gave him a grateful smile. Neville patted his shoulder reassuringly before heading off in the direction of the staff carriage.

James went into the compartment Neville had indicated. A girl with long dark hair in Hufflepuff colours got up to greet him, hand outstretched: He noticed the Head Girl badge pinned to her robes. "James Potter! I heard it was you." He took her hand politely but slightly awkwardly: He recognised the girl from a few of his classes and knew she'd been a prefect but had no idea what her name was. She seemed to realise the reason for his discomfort. "Susannah Amos,"she supplied.

The name rang a slight bell with James. "Do I know your family?"

"I don't think so, I'm Muggleborn. My sister's a witch though, she was two years above us. Helena."

James thought for a second then it came to him. "She was dating Timothy Wood, right?"

"She married him last month."

James nodded. "We were on the Quidditch team together."

"Well, since we're going to be working closely, I suppose we'd better get to know each other. You're dating that Ravenclaw prefect, aren't you?"

James was about to answer when he heard voices coming down the corridor. "Maybe we should talk about this later." Susannah nodded and they took their places.

A large group of prefects filed in. Albus, Rose, Emily and Scorpius were among them, along with Zara Mills, the other Slytherin prefect from their year. Several of them did double takes when they saw James, not least Brian Higgs and Angela Barnes.

"Sit down,"James told them, trying to imbue his voice with some authority. "Let's get started."

* * *

Martin was glaring hard at Lily and Hugo, a fact that both of them were completely unaware of since they were engrossed in a game of exploding snap. It was bad enough having to share a compartment with his best friend's youngest siblings because said best friend had suddenly taking to hanging out with the posh kids. Having them ignore him was even worse.

"I suppose you two will be prefects next year,"he grumbled. "At least I won't be around to see it."

"Not me,"Lily replied. "All the teachers say I talk too much."

"And I don't talk enough,"Hugo added. "Snap."

Lily did a double take just as the cards exploded. "I was distracted,"she complained. Hugo shrugged.

"Maybe you'll have a normal year at Hogwarts this year,"Martin suggested.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, in your first year the school got raided by Death Eaters trying to revive Voldemort, second year the Potions Mistress turned out to be an imposter organising a breakout from Azkaban and third year the new Herbology assistant turned out to be helping erase people's memories. You haven't got the best history." Martin gained a certain satisfaction from seeing them both blanch.

* * *

Harry was filing through reports in his office at the Ministry when Hermione came in and sat on his desk. "No, I can't do any work with you there,"he remarked in mock protest. "Too distracting."

Hermione rolled her eyes slightly. "I just wondered if you fancied some lunch. Assuming I can keep any of it down today."

Harry gave her a sympathetic look. "It'll be worth it at the end."

"Well, at least then I'll get to share the hardship with you then." Hermione smiled. "And it'll be nice to share other things with you as well."

Harry was struck by the comment. Every now and then he found himself in awe about the fact they were going to have a child together. Like Hermione, he'd thought those days were behind him but perhaps it was inevitable, given how completely he'd fallen in love with her, that something would come out of that love.

"Thought I'd find you two together,"remarked Ron as he entered the office. They both looked suddenly guilty but he wasn't paying attention, instead producing a file. "Got a case here that should concern both of you, looks like we're going to have to prosecute. Some idiot decided it would be a good idea to enchant a batch of razors so they make hair instantly grow back longer and then put them in a Muggle shop. You wouldn't believe the trouble it's taking to cover it up…"

He was interrupted by a yell of pain from the corridor. The three of them drew their wands and ran out.

It took them some minutes to find the corridor from which the shout had originated. When they did, they found Anthony King, their former classmate who worked in the Department of Magical Transportation, sitting with his legs straight out in the middle of the corridor, looking dazed. Parvati and Padma Patel came running up from the other direction. "What happened?"Padma asked.

Anthony shook his head to clear it. "Death Eaters,"he said at last.

Everyone froze at the declaration. "Are you sure?"Harry asked.

"They looked like them. They had the robes and the masks." Anthony gestured to a nearby room. "They came out of there, one of them was carrying a scroll. I tried to stop them but they stunned me."

Harry looked around at the rest of the group. "I think we'd better tell the Minister."


	3. Chapter 3: It Begins Again

**So I picked up some more favourites and follows, thank you to those people, and my first review so a huge thank you to that person! I guess with the proliferation of Harry Potter fictions on this site it takes a lot to get people's attention...**

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CHAPTER THREE: It Begins Again

Harry stood in the office of Kingsley Shacklebolt, the Minister of Magic, his old friend and superior. There had been a thorough debriefing session with several departments over the infiltration of the Ministry. Finally, Kingsley had asked to see Harry alone. "Who do you think's behind this?"he asked.

"Lucius Malfoy would seem the best bet,"Harry replied. "The Malfoys organised the breakout from Azkaban and the raid on Hogwarts. I think at least some of the Death Eaters that escaped would stay with them. Maybe even all of them."

"I agree,"Kingsley confirmed. "And it would explain one of the more troubling aspects of this. It seems unlikely they could have got into the Ministry without help. The Malfoys have many friends here."

Harry considered this. Much as he didn't want to agree, he found it likely. "Which means that any action we take will be known to them."

"Yes. That is what I am concerned about."

"Do we know what was taken?"

"Yes. The scroll they stole was about a thousand years old, dating back to the time Hogwarts was founded. It details many dark magic devices created around that time."

"So Malfoy could be looking to unearth one of them."

"It's one possibility." Kingsley steepled his hands. "Harry, I don't want you involved in the Auror investigation. I want you to look at this in another way. Off the record, so to speak."

Harry nodded. "I'll inform the Order immediately."

* * *

"I'll send out the call to as many people as possible,"Hermione said once Harry filled her in.

"Thanks,"Harry agreed. "I'll alert Ron and he can spread the word. And we need to send a message to Neville at Hogwarts too."

Hermione nodded but she'd known Harry for enough years to pick up on his mood. "Is something worrying you?"

"I just...kind of wish we were bringing a child into the world at a less troubled time."

"When have we known one of those?"

Harry gave a weak smile. "True."

Hermione took his hand. "We'll be all right, Harry."

* * *

"So who's this Head Girl then?"Martin asked as he and James wandered through the Hogwarts corridors. "Good looking? Sharing a suite with a girl must be fun."

"You do remember I'm dating your sister?"

"You can dump her if you want, I don't mind."

James sighed. "Her name's Susannah. She used to stand four benches along from us in Herbology."

"Don't remember. What NEWTs is she taking?"

"Transfiguration, Charms and Potions."

Martin scowled as he realised what OWLs Susannah must have got to take the three subjects. He'd only barely scraped enough to continue with Herbology and Defence Against the Dark Arts, the first because his father was the professor and the second because of being attacked by Death Eaters twice in as many years. "Did I mention how much I hate overachievers?"

James checked his watch. "Actually, it's my first Transfiguration class of the year, I'd better not be late."

"Fine, run along. I'll just wander the corridors aimlessly looking for someone else with big gaps in their timetable."

James hurried to the class and was relieved that he wasn't the last to arrive. He spotted Susannah with an empty chair next to her and gestured if it was all right for him to sit there. She gave him a smile and a nod.

Eventually the class was complete and Ernie Macmillan, the Transfiguration Professor and Head of Hufflepuff, stood in front of them. "You're taking your NEWTs at the end of the year,"he reminded them. "So it's important you begin to master advanced Transfiguration. To this end…" He stopped as Neville entered the classroom. The pair had a whispered conference before Ernie addressed the class. "I'm afraid I've been called away to deal with something urgent. Professor Mariotte will be arriving to take over the class shortly, until then I want you to read Chapter 3 of your textbooks and make notes." He hurried out after Neville.

"What was that about?"Susannah wondered.

James had a fair idea but wasn't sure if he should tell someone who was still largely a stranger. "I don't know,"he replied. But he did. The Order of the Phoenix were assembling.

* * *

Neville and Ernie were the last to arrive at Grimmauld Place, the Order headquarters. Harry stood at the front of the gathering, flanked by Ron and Hermione. Also present were Luna, Parvati, Padma, Seamus Finnegan, Hannah Abbott, George Weasley, Cho Chang, Michael Corner, Oliver Wood, Katie Bell, Angelina Johnson, Percy Weasley, Teddy Lupin, Victoire Lupin and Gabrielle Delacour.

"Are we actually sure it's Death Eaters this time?"Seamus asked. "Because last time you thought that it turned out to be some faded celebrity who couldn't beat a bunch of pixies."

"We've got an eyewitness this time,"Hermione pointed out.

"Anthony Goldstein,"Padma supplied.

Seamus screwed up his face but Hannah nudged him. "Come on, he was in the DA with us, we can trust him."

"What we need to work out is what they're planning on doing with that scroll,"Harry continued.

Luna stuck up her hand. "I've got lots of theories."

There was an awkward pause. "We'll run through them together and sort out the most likely,"Neville suggested.

Luna smiled happily. "Okay."

"We also need to guard places where there might be similar raids,"Harry continued.

"We've sorted out a roster for patrol duty,"Ron explained. "But if you think there's anything that can be added, speak up."

"The last time the Death Eaters were organised like this they came very close to bringing Voldemort back,"Harry reminded everyone. "Goodness knows what they're going to try this time."


	4. Chapter 4: Keep On Keeping On

**Well, I got two reviews this time so thank you to those people!**

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CHAPTER FOUR: Keep On Keeping On

Rose crept through the shrubbery, looking around her cautiously. The Hogwarts grounds weren't exactly out of bounds, and she had her prefect badge if anyone started asking questions, but students wandering around, even after classes, was frowned upon. "Are you here?"she whispered.

"Here,"Scorpius whispered from behind a nearby bush.

Rose smiled and hurried over to him. He put his arms around her waist and kissed her. "I've missed you,"she told him.

"We do still have classes together,"Scorpius reminded her. "We eat together every day."

"You know what I mean. We don't have much time alone together. When we're not studying, we've got James trying to convince us we have to investigate something. He doesn't even know what!"

"How's he getting on with that?"

Rose sighed. "I don't know. It's James. He just charges in like a dragon in a potions shop and expects to get a result."

"It seems to work for him, though."

"Annoyingly, yes."

Scorpius looked suddenly awkward. "Did you mean what you said? About spending time alone together?"

"Yes, of course I did. Why?"

Scorpius took her hand. "Let's go and explore the castle."

* * *

James and Emily were cuddled up on the couch in the Heads' Suite. "Have you had a chance to speak to your dad since he's been back?"James asked.

Emily rolled her eyes. "I've spoken to him, Martin's spoken to him. If he was meeting with the Order, he's not going to tell us. What about your dad?"

"I've sent him a couple of owls asking if anything's going on. He just sends back vague reassurances."

"I take it you don't believe him?"

"Well, I'm not taking it as read."

"So there's nothing more to do?"

"Not for the moment."

"So can we take advantage of the fact that we're alone?"

James smiled slightly. He leaned forward and kissed her. She responded tenderly, the kiss becoming more intimate as their hands roamed about each other's bodies.

At that moment, Susannah emerged from her room. The pair sprang apart and Emily scrambled to her feet. Trying to maintain some sort of dignity, she held out her hand. "Hi, I'm Emily Longbottom."

"Susannah,"the other returned, accepting the hand. She looked at James. "I know we're allowed guests but this area is supposed to be for both of us. I can't hide my eyes whenever I come in here in case you're up to something."

James cringed inside and saw Emily redden slightly. "You're right, I'm sorry."

"If you want to do that, you can use your own room."

James cringed still further. "I…" He looked across at Emily, expecting her to look annoyed, but instead she just shrugged. "I'll bear that in mind,"he said at last.

* * *

Harry hurried through the corridors of St. Mungo's. It had been a busy time: In addition to his normal duties as Auror, he had had to co-ordinate and receive reports from the members of the Order. So far, their researches had turned up very little but he was hoping that another clue would turn up soon to point them in the right direction as to what the Death Eaters were up to. But before all that, he had something else to deal with him.

"Sorry I'm late,"he apologised as he entered the Healer's office. Hermione was there already, of course, her expression a combination of annoyance and understanding.

The woman behind the desk nodded. "I've just been explaining to Mrs. Potter that her pregnancy is proceeding as expected. There's just one issue that needs to be decided."

"Madame Franklin suggested we take birthing classes,"Hermione explained.

Harry laughed. "I don't think we need them, do we?" There was an awkward silence and Harry had the sudden feeling he'd said the wrong thing.

Hermione looked at Madame Franklin. "Can we have a moment alone?"

"Of course, I'll be back in a minute. Or however long you need." The Healer left them alone.

Harry looked at Hermione in surprise. "You actually want to do this? We've both been through it before."

"That was a long time ago, Harry,"Hermione pointed out. "Having to give birth again scares me a bit, it's harder for older women. And…" She trailed off.

"Go on,"Harry encouraged.

"And…I thought it was something we could do together. This is our baby, Harry, it's different. You're going to be there at the birth and I really really want us to share everything we can."

Harry gave a rueful smile. "I'm rubbish sometimes, aren't I?"

Hermione smiled back. "Sometimes."

"I'll tell Madame Franklin to put us down."


	5. Chapter 5: Second Encounter

**I picked up another follow so thank you to that person! Sorry for the wait, I meant to post this yesterday and forgot. Hopefully it'll be worth it!**

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CHAPTER FIVE: Second Encounter

Harry, Ron, Hermione and Luna walked through the corridors of the library, wands at the ready. It was dark outside and they had decided against illumination that would give away their position, so they walked in almost total darkness.

"Should we split up?"Ron asked quietly.

"No,"Harry whispered back. "I don't want to risk stumbling across someone when we're not at full strength."

"You mean like those people who are ruffling through papers three aisles down?"Luna asked mildly.

There was a stunned silence for a moment. "You're sure you're not just hearing things?"Hermione asked.

"Of course I'm hearing things,"Luna replied. "I couldn't see them in this light, could I? That would be silly."

"I wouldn't put it past her,"Ron mumbled.

"Okay. Ron, Hermione, you carry on this way and stop when you get to that aisle,"Harry instructed. "Luna and I are going to go down this aisle and cut off the other entrance."

Everyone followed the plan, Harry and Luna creeping to the other end of the aisle and then resuming travelling in the right direction. When they reached the aisle Luna had indicated, Harry waited a moment so he could be sure Ron and Hermione were in position and then raised his wand. "_Lumos_."

In the light from his wand, he saw three figures standing in the aisle, shuffling through papers. They were wearing Death Eater robes but were unmasked. For a moment they were transfixed, then one of them aimed his wand at the pair. "_Excrucio_!"

Harry pushed Luna in one direction and dived in the other, the hex passing harmlessly between them. "_Stupefy_!"came a shout from the other end of the aisle as Ron and Hermione entered the battle. The Death Eaters seemed to suddenly realise they were facing enemies from both directions. Two of them began casting shield charms. The third took out her wand and grabbed the arms of her two fellows. There was a crack and all three vanished.

Harry and Luna cautiously made their way into the aisle, meeting Ron and Hermione in the centre. "Did you recognise them?"Ron asked, his tone suggesting that he had.

Harry nodded. "Augustus Rookwood and Marcus Flint. And the one directing them was Narcissa Malfoy." Up until that point, he had held onto the possibility that they were dealing with a new group calling themselves Death Eaters. But now it was clear that this was the remaining free members of Rodolphus Lestrange's group, the ones that now seemed to be working for the Malfoys.

"They took something,"Luna noted.

Hermione nodded. "Yes, I saw Narcissa gathering it up while the other two were deflecting our spells. I wonder what it was."

Luna gestured to a gap in one of the shelves. "Whatever was there."

"Given that we're in a restricted library for some of the darkest and most ancient magic known to the wizarding world,"Harry sighed,"it's probably not something we wanted them to have."

* * *

Albus stood in the middle of the Quidditch pitch, looking around at the Gryffindors trying out for the team with some trepidation. The fact that most of his family had been on the team the previous year didn't exactly help his confidence: He had a worrying feeling he was going to be accused of favouritism.

Since Albus already had the Seeker role, he'd asked the Beaters to come up next. James and Martin, along with Angela, were now the oldest and longest-serving members of the team. Fortunately, that gave them an advantage in terms of strength and Albus could quickly add them to the team sheet without any fear of accusations of bias. "All right, Chasers up next!"he announced, hoping that was another one that could be resolved quickly.

James and Martin came to stand with him, secure of their place on the team. Albus glanced up at the stands where Rose was sitting with Scorpius. He was relieved, if not surprised, that she wasn't trying out. Martin nudged his two friends. "Do you reckon he's spying for Slytherin?"

"I don't think he's looking at us,"James answered.

Albus shot a glance in their direction. As James had said, they seemed to be paying far more attention to each other than the try-outs, nudging each other and laughing happily. He looked back at his older brother and they shared a smile. It was good to see Rose loosening up a bit.

There were quite a few people trying out for Chaser, including Albus' best friend Owen Spink and, of course, Lily. Angela was a shoe-in, as was Natalie Ellis, who had been on the team for the last three years. And while Lily still didn't have the strongest throw, her accuracy was such that no-one complained when Albus gave her the third spot.

Which left Keeper, the position Albus had been dreading most of all.

Since Keeper had been the position of Damon Willis, Albus' predecessor as captain, it was the one position that couldn't be filled by someone from the previous year. And just to make things more complicated, Hugo had been the Reserve Keeper that year, largely thanks to Albus convincing him to try out.

Albus noticed Hugo in the line of hopefuls. He was the shortest of the lot, with the other four candidates consisting of two fifth years, a sixth year and a seventh year. "You will each get three shots,"he told them. "Whoever saves the most gets the position. If it's a draw, we'll carry on until there's a clear winner."

Angela, Natalie and Lily provided the shots. The two fifth years each let a shot in so they dropped out. Albus invited some of the other Chaser hopefuls to join in, including Owen. The seventh year hopeful let in a shot from Imelda Creevey. Albus made a mental note to have her on his reserve list. Only Hugo and the sixth year hopeful, Frank Hicks, remained.

"Okay, let's make this more interesting,"Albus decided. "Angela, Natalie and Lily, you're going to attack together. Pass the Quaffle about between you and, when one of you has a chance to take a shot, do so. Frank, Hugo, opposite ends. You'll take it in turns to defend your hoops."

The three girls were used to working together and were soon keeping both boys on their toes with a series of rapid shots that they only just kept out. Hugo stppped one shot with his fingertips, barely managing to nudge it so it rolled around the rim of the hoop and then spun out. The girls went up the other end. Lily hurled the quaffle forwards to Angela, who looped high and then hurled the ball down. Frank was caught off balance and the ball sailed past him into the hoop.

Albus heard an outbreak of applause from the stands. Rose had obviously decided that her brother's involvement warranted her attention and she and some of the other sixth years were standing up to cheer Hugo's triumph.

Albus patted his smiling cousin on the shoulder. "Okay, we've got a team."


	6. Chapter 6: Secrets Will Out

**Sorry for another delay! I forgot to post this again...**

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CHAPTER SIX: Secrets Will Out

The members of the Order crowded round as Harry laid a series of photographs on the table. "Lucius Malfoy. Narcissa Malfoy. Draco Malfoy. Augustus Rookwood. Yaxley. Marcus Flint. Romilda Vane. The Death Eaters who escaped from Azkaban a year and a half ago." He added another photograph. "And, of course, Pansy Parkinson, who aided the escape. Last night was the first confirmed sighting of any of them since. At least three of them are involved in this, probably more, possibly all."

"Okay, we'll give you this one,"Seamus conceeded.

"So, I guess now we need to work out what they're doing?"Ron ventured.

"We've got one clue,"Hermione ventured. "The text they stole from the library last night."

"You know what it was about?"George asked.

"Yes, we looked in the library index,"Luna confirmed. "It was a book on precious metals."

Everyone gave Luna the look that usually meant they didn't know whether to take her seriously or not. "No, it really was,"Neville clarified.

"Certain metals are needed for certain dark magic spells,"Hermione explained. "Dark wizards draw magical forces out of them. But you're talking something extreme, a large scale casting."

"It gives us something else to watch out for though, doesn't it?"Ernie put in. "If they're interested in these metals, then they'd probably try and get them from somewhere."

"Good point,"Harry agreed. "We should add that to the patrol list. Is there anything else?"

Parvati put up her hand. "There is one thing. The scroll that was stolen from the Ministry."

"You know something else about it?"Ron asked.

Parvati gestured to herself and her sister. "We were looking into the records of its contents. They're a bit sketchy in some places but there was one item that stood out. We don't know exactly what it does but it seems it's designed to attack all non-purebloods."

"That sounds the sort of thing Lucius Malfoy would get involved in,"Harry agreed. "Do you know anything else about it?"

Parvati glanced awkwardly at Padma who took a deep breath. "Only its name,"Padma answered. "It's called the Purification Device."

* * *

It was late that evening and Harry and Hermione were alone in their house. Dinner had passed pleasantly and they were cuddled up on the couch. Harry gently placed a kiss on the back of Hermione's neck, causing her to raise an eyebrow. "Can I help you with something?"she asked.

Harry gave an expression of faux innocence. "I don't know, can you?"

"We should really be worrying about the fact that someone's probably planning to kill us all."

"That's not exactly unusual, is it?" Harry's demeanour became serious. "You know I'd never let anything happen to you and the kids?" He placed his arms protectively around her waist. "This one included."

"You can't promise that though, any more than I can. We've lost so many friends over the year, first to Voldemort, then to Rodolphus Lestrange. I just wish…"

Harry planted a kiss on her lips and she melted into it, the warmth she felt at his touch coursing through her. Finally, she disengaged. "Not exactly a compelling argument but appreciated."

"Is that all I get?"Harry asked, amused.

"You're going to take advantage of a pregnant woman?"

"If she'll let me."

Hermione kissed him again, then took his hand and led him upstairs.

* * *

Hermione was woken up by a loud banging on the door the next morning. She rolled over in bed and saw to her horror that it was nearly ten o'clock. She nudged Harry sharply, snapped "Wake up!", then pulled on a robe and headed downstairs.

Ron fell into the house as soon as she opened the door. He looked her up and down, confused by her appearance. "Aren't you ready yet?"

"We, er, had a busy night. Were we supposed to be meeting?"

Harry came down the stairs, having also donned a robe. He looked at his visitor in confusion. "Hi, Ron."

"Harry." Ron glanced from Harry to Hermione, obviously putting two and two together, then quickly dismissed the subject from his mind. "We've got to talk about this pregnancy."

Hermione felt the awkwardness in the room increase and looked at Harry. "We were going to tell you eventually, we haven't even told the children yet. We're just trying to get our heads around it."

Harry stepped forward and took her hand, but looked at Ron. "We didn't expect to start again but…it's a nice surprise."

Ron seemed to sag slightly at the news. "You're pregnant? Well, yeah, I guess you're married, that's not really a surprise."

"You didn't know?" Hermione's mind was rapidly reassessing the situation and she wasn't liking where it was going. "Ron, what pregnancy were you talking about?"

"You didn't get the owl from Hogwarts? Wanting us to come in urgently?"

"We only just got up." For the first time, Hermione registered the letter on the mat, bearing the Hogwarts seal.

"Rose,"Ron explained. "Rose is pregnant."


	7. Chapter 7: Pregnant Strategies

CHAPTER SEVEN: Pregnant Strategies

Harry, Ron and Hermione were in Slughorn's office, with not only the headmaster himself but also Neville and Professor Marlon Fletcher, the heads of Gryffindor and Slytherin. "The, ah, two students involved are with Madame Pomfrey at the moment,"Slughorn explained awkwardly. "They will be brought here as soon as possible."

"Are you going to explain how this happened?"Ron demanded.

"Well…while such actions are discouraged wherever possible, we can't regulate every aspect of the students' out of hours activities. In an enclosed environment like this, a certain amount of fraternisation is to be expected."

"Guess I shouldn't have voted to remove the wards stopping boys going in girls' dormitories,"Neville remarked with awkward jokiness. Everyone glared at him and he shut up.

Astoria Malfoy came bustling into the office. "What's this I hear, Professor Slughorn? I'm not used to receiving summons to Hogwarts because my son is supposed to have got a girl in trouble." She noticed the other three parents. "Are you involved in this?"

"Our daughter is,"Hermione said simply.

Astoria had the grace to look embarrassed. "Yes. Sorry about that."

"It is Scorpius then?"Harry asked. It was his turn to be glared at by everyone. "Not suggesting anything," he added hastily, aware of the daggers Hermione was giving him. "Just making sure we're in possession of all the facts."

It was at that moment that Madame Pomfrey showed Rose and Scorpius in. Both looked frightened about what was going to happen. Astoria went over to her son and gave him a light slap on the arm before putting an arm round his shoulder. Ron looked like he wanted to do more than that but restrained himself. Hermione gestured for him to move over so that their daughter could sit between them and took Rose's hand once she was seated.

"A pregnancy at Hogwarts isn't entirely unheard of,"Slughorn remarked. "But most of the instances are with older students, who would be leaving anyway and who would give birth after exams. A pregnancy involving two students who still have more than a year to go, especially ones as promising as these two, is rarer."

"You're not going to make Rose leave, are you?"Hermione asked anxiously.

"How is that fair?"Ron demanded. "Making her leave and letting him stay?"

"I wouldn't want to stay without Rose!"Scorpius protested.

Slughorn held up his hand for silence. "There is no question of anyone being instructed to leave. But the situation will require a lot of effort on all sides to make it work."

"If I might say something,"Pomfrey interjected,"both students have handled the issue with a lot of maturity and commitment to each other. I think you should be proud of them."

"Would I have to remain in the girls' dormitory?"Rose asked.

"Yes, you will,"Slughorn confirmed. "There is no need for a break with regulations at this time."

"If you have any troubles, come to me, Rose,"Neville told her kindly.

"The teaching staff will have to be informed,"Slughorn continued. "But I see no reason to inform the student body until the situation becomes…obvious."

"We should probably let the families talk,"Fletcher suggested.

Slughorn suddenly seemed to realise this. "Yes, good idea, Marlon. If anyone needs me, I'll be in Professor Flitwick's office discussing strategy with him." He was the first to exit.

"May we use your office, Professor Fletcher?"Astoria asked. Fletcher nodded. Scorpius gave Rose a reassuring squeeze on the shoulder before letting his mother and head of house lead him out. Ron again looked like he was resisting the urge to punch him.

Harry felt suddenly awkward and out of place. He was, after all, only a step-parent in the set-up. "You should do this alone,"he decided. "You're Rose's parents." He looked at Hermione. "I'll see you in a bit." She smiled gratefully at him and he left with Neville.

* * *

"A Malfoy,"Ron complained. "You're pregnant by a Malfoy! At sixteen!"

"His family's not really the most important thing,"Hermione pointed out. "They love each other. It's…it's natural."

"What, are you saying you were doing that at her age?"

Hermione could feel her hackles rising. She knew Ron was angry and disappointed, she was herself, and she should give him some leeway. But instead she found him a convenient target for her anger. "As you well know, Ron, I was single for the whole of my sixth year. Unlike you."

Ron paused, struggling for words. "That…I didn't…That's nothing to do with this."

"I'm sorry, Dad,"Rose said quietly.

Ron looked at her and it was clear from his expression that he was regretting his outburst. "That's okay, Rose,"he said awkwardly. "There are worse things you can do and…we'll be here for you, me and your mum and…and Scorpius too, I guess."

Rose smiled with embarrassment at him. "Thanks, Dad."

"Um, can I speak to Rose alone for a moment?"Hermione interjected.

Ron bristled again. "What, you think I can't handle this?"

"No but…there's something I need to tell her."

Ron stared at her for a moment, then realisation dawned. "I'll go and check in with Neville,"he decided. "Maybe visit Hugo while I'm here. I won't tell him, we'll work out how to do that later." He crouched down near Rose and gave her a brief hug. "I'll see you later."

Hermione waited till he'd gone then looked at Rose. The girl was staring down at her feet, not sure what was to come. "I'm pregnant,"Hermione told her simply.

Rose looked up sharply at the comment, staring at her in astonishment. It seemed to take a few seconds for her to even take in the revelation. "Really?!"

Hermione nodded. "It wasn't planned. So even when you get to my age, these things happen. That doesn't necessarily make it a bad thing though. Having a child with someone you love…Well, it's what people have been doing for a long time."

"I do love Scorpius,"Rose confirmed. "I'm just not sure I'm ready to be a mum."

"No-one is the first time round. You'll get there. You'll have lots of help."

Rose nodded. "Congratulations on your baby."

Hermione smiled, surprised but pleased by the comment. "You know, apart from Harry and your dad, you're the first person I've told."

"I'm glad."

Hermione enfolded her daughter into a hug and held her tight. Now there was one more reason to want to put an end to the Purification Device.


	8. Chapter 8: Dealing With the Future

**I picked up a few more follows and favourites so thank you to those people!**

* * *

CHAPTER EIGHT: Dealing With the Future

James, Albus, Lily and Hugo filed out of the classroom, their minds whirling with what their parents had just told them. "I can't believe Dad and Aunt Hermione are having another baby,"Albus remarked in bewilderment.

"Well, I think we all worked out they were doing that sort of stuff,"James told him.

"Yeah, I know, but it'll be so much younger than us. By the time it's our age, we'll practically be middle-aged."

"It'll be nice not being the youngest anymore,"Hugo said quietly.

"Well, yeah, there is that advantage for you. Being a big brother can be fun." Albus glanced at his sister. "What do you think? You're being unusually quiet."

Lily hesitated. "It's going to be strange. I mean, she's our mum now but…she'll be this baby's actual mum. From the start, I mean."

Albus sensed the reason for her discomfort. "It won't mean she'll love us any less. I mean, look at the way you two are. You're even calling her Mum now."

"You're not though."

"Well…after calling her Aunt Hermione all these years it'd be a bit strange. It doesn't mean I don't like having her around."

"How do you think Rose is feeling?"James asked.

Albus shrugged. "I'd say it's hard to imagine Rose as a mum but actually, she bosses us about so much she'd probably fit right into it."

"I think she'll be scared,"Lily said quietly.

"I do too,"Hugo agreed.

"One of us should talk to her,"James decided.

"Don't look at me,"Albus protested. "Heart to hearts with Rose are way out of my league. You always talk to her better than I do."

James looked at the other three, weighing up his options. "I'll see what I can do."

* * *

Rose was sat in a corner of the common room, flicking over a textbook for Charms. She was having a hard time concentrating on it. For a start, she couldn't shake the feeling that it would all turn out to be pointless and she'd have to drop out before she took her NEWTs, whatever her parents and Scorpius and Uncle Harry and Neville and even Slughorn said. And then there was the fact that pretty soon she'd start showing and the entire dorm, closely followed by the entire school, would find out. And she had a feeling they wouldn't react too well.

She was aware of movement and looked up to find that Emily had sat down on a couch near her. The blonde girl's Ravenclaw colours stood out among the Gryffindor decorations. Her gaze was on Rose and Rose had a feeling she knew why. "Aren't you in the wrong common room?"she asked.

"James gave me the password,"Emily explained. "He thought you might want someone to talk to." She noticed Rose's sceptical look and shrugged. "I told him I'd try."

Rose thought for a moment. In truth, Emily was probably the closest thing she had to a female friend. There weren't many people that she genuinely didn't get on with but Scorpius was the first person she'd actually been close to. "He told you…everything?"

"I hope you don't mind. I won't tell anyone else. Even Martin doesn't know."

Rose bit her lip slightly. "Have you and James ever..?" She left the question unfinished.

Emily didn't respond for a few moments. Then she nodded.

"Why?"

Emily shrugged. "Because I love him. And it's a bit awkward but…I kind of like it."

"Me too." Rose sighed. "But I suppose I should have brushed up on my contraceptive charms first."

"Are you scared?"

"Terrified. I'm terrified of giving birth and I'm terrified of what happens after giving birth, of being a mother. But I love Scorpius and he loves me and we'll both love this baby."

Emily smiled at her. "Doesn't sound like you need someone to talk to at all then."

* * *

Harry and Hermione were cuddled up on the sofa at home. Hermione had been in a thoughtful mood all evening and Harry was starting to worry, wondering how he could get his wife to relax with everything that was going on in both their family and the wider wizarding world. "Are you sorry that we told the children? About Rose?"

Hermione shook her head. "No, she told us we could. I'm just sorry she has to grow up so fast."

"Well, after everything that's happened these past few years, that was kind of inevitable."

"No, it wasn't. Think about us at that age. Voldemort was around but once he was gone…Well, the real growing up started. You got close to Ginny, I went travelling with Ron, got to finish my schooling, we were just…young people doing what young people do. We could feel our way into the proper adult world, not the one where we were on the run in fear of our lives, the one of building homes and having children and…falling in love. But whether we manage to stop this thing or not, Rose is going to have to deal with all that adult stuff now."

Harry sighed. "I'm sorry but…all I can think of at the moment is keeping everyone alive. I get what you're saying but there's bigger problems than that."

"Not for Rose. Not for me either." Hermione shook her head incredulously. "I'm going to be a grandmother! I'm not even done with being a mother yet."

"I don't think anyone's ever done with that."

"You know what I mean."

"Yes, I do." Harry gripped Hermione's hand. "And whatever you have to deal with, I'll be right here with you, okay?"


	9. Chapter 9: Dark Raiders

**I picked up my first review in ages for the last chapter so big thank you to that person!**

* * *

CHAPTER NINE: Dark Raiders

The hillside was dark, the moon above casting only a small amount of illumination across the scene. Seamus, Hannah, Parvati, Padma and George had apparated in a few moments previous and were looking about them, checking for any signs of activity. "Doesn't look like there's anyone here,"George remarked.

"Well, don't take it on chance,"Seamus snapped.

"We know there's a high concentration of falium near here,"Padma reminded everyone. "Muggles can't see it so it hasn't been mined. If Death Eaters wanted to get it, they could extract it easily. It's a remote spot, no-one's going to come here."

"Except us,"Parvati concluded.

"So split up,"Seamus instructed brusquely. "Let's make absolutely certain there's no-one here."

Hannah looked at her husband with concern. She knew he was thinking about Marcus Flint, the Death Eater who had killed Seamus' friend Dean Thomas during the battle at Riddle Mansion, nearly three years previous. The fact that the two of them and Michael had tried and failed to catch Flint during the breakout from Azkaban, even though they'd caught his two accomplices Peregrine Derrick and Lucian Bole, was only adding to his frustrations.

Parvati nudged her sister. "We'll go this way." They headed off to the right of the group.

Seamus looked at George. George shrugged. "I guess I'll just wander around on my own then. Don't feel too bad if you find my mangled body." He headed off at right angles to the two women.

Seamus and Hannah headed in a diagonal direction away from the pair. "The chances are they won't be here,"Hannah pointed out.

"Yeah, I know,"Seamus agreed. "But I don't want to go back to Harry and tell him that we didn't have a good look." He held up his hand. "Wait, did you hear that?"

Hannah stopped and listened. She could hear a slight rustling noise. "Do you want to get the others?"she whispered.

Seamus shook his head. "Let's check it out ourselves first."

They crept forward a few paces, keeping low. And then they saw, in the moonlight, three robed figures digging a hole in the ground. "Should we send a patronus?"Hannah whispered.

"It'd stand out a mile in this light,"Seamus replied. "Go and get the others, I'll stay here."

The next few minutes seemed like an age. Seamus struggled to make out the features of the trio but he was too far away. "Isn't this enough?"asked one of the trio. The voice was female: Seamus was sure it was Romilda Vane.

"A bit more,"replied another of the three, the middle one in terms of size. After sharing classes with him for seven years, Seamus would have recognised the voice anywhere: Draco Malfoy.

The trio seemed about to finish up. Seamus was contemplating rushing in on his own when there was a yell. Hannah and George came rushing in at the bigger of the Death Eaters, who Seamus realised was Yaxley. The Death Eater began parrying their spells. At the same moment, Parvati and Padma charged at Romilda. Seamus himself leapt out of cover and aimed a Stunning Spell at Draco, who blocked it.

The fight seemed to go on for ages but in reality it was only half a minute before one of Parvati's Disarming Charms sent Romilda's wand flying. Realising what was going on, Draco hit Seamus with an Impediment Jinx and spun round at the twins, placing a Shield Charm between them and Romilda. "Get the box,"he snapped at Romilda, who had scrambled to retrieve her wand.

Romilda snatched up the box containing the extracted ore and, before anyone could stop them, the three Death Eaters apparated away.

* * *

"You did the best you could,"Harry told them when they reported back, doing his best to hide his disappointment. He could see that Seamus was feeling guilty about the failure.

"They still got the falium though,"Seamus noted despondently.

"Not much of it,"Hannah added hopefully.

"They wouldn't need much of it,"Ernie put in. "It's a pretty powerful conductor."

"But useless on its own,"Hermione pointed out. "It needs to be used with other magical metals like haxron or klind."

"Well, we've checked out every known stream in the country,"Ron stated. "And there's nothing else missing."

"What about the Purification Device?"Harry asked. "Do we know anything about it?"

"Still very little,"Parvati admitted.

Hermione shuddered slightly. "The very name makes me feel nervous."

"They might just be using it to get rid of wrackspurts,"Luna suggested.

"Do you think that's likely?"Neville asked her.

Luna shrugged. "Well, I admit it's more likely that they're going to use it to kill us all but it's good to look on the bright side. At least if it doesn't affect purebloods you'll be all right. And Ron. And Ernie. And Padma and Parvati. And the other Weasleys."

"Okay, that's a bright side,"Harry agreed. "But what we really need to do is stop whatever it is they're doing. So keep an eye on the other sites and put your heads together. We need to get to the bottom of this quickly."

* * *

James and Emily were curled up on the sofa in the heads' suite. "So how's Rose?"James asked.

"It's hard to tell,"Emily admitted. "She's keeping it all to herself. I think she's going to be okay though. Scorpius will be there for her."

James nodded. "I can't decide whether to be there for the guy or challenge him to a duel."

Emily smiled slightly. "You're really protective of her, aren't you?"

"She's always been like a sister to me. And now she pretty much is my sister so it gets a bit confusing."

"I think we'll handle this pregnancy okay between us."

"_Incendio_,"a voice interrupted. A flame shot above the pair's heads, hovered in the air for a moment and then retracted. They looked round to see Susannah standing in the doorway of her room, smiling. "That works so much better than clearing your throat."

Emily sighed. "I'd better go." She gave James a quick kiss before leaving the suite.

James glared at his suite-partner. "Thanks for that."

"Well, you know the rules about shared areas." Susannah paused, her mood becoming serious. "I overheard something about a pregnancy."

James bit his lip. He was under strict instructions to tell no-one, which he'd decided to assume didn't include Emily but he certainly wasn't going to tell anyone else. "No, I don't think so."

"I'm not an idiot, James. I've noticed Emily doesn't always go back to her dorm for the night."

It took James a moment to realise what she was saying, then his eyes widened. "No, no, Emily isn't pregnant." He saw Susannah's sceptical look. "Someone's pregnant but it's not Emily."

Susannah looked at him closely, then nodded in acceptance. "Okay, I get that you don't want to tell me. But if we're working together, then you're going to have to learn to trust me."


	10. Chapter 10: Game of Revelations

**I've picked up another follower, so welcome aboard that person!**

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CHAPTER TEN: Game of Revelations

Albus was hesitating outside the Gryffindor dressing room. His first game as Quidditch captain. A chance to fire up the team and get them ready to achieve victory. To provide words of inspiration that would cause them to lift their game and play at their best. He just wished he could think of any.

"Why aren't you going in?"asked Lily as she and Hugo appeared behind him.

Albus sighed. "You're late,"he told them.

"So are you,"Lily fired back.

"No, I'm the captain. You're meant to be in there waiting for me."

"Is there something wrong?"Hugo asked.

Albus considered lying for a moment, then he sighed. "I'm having trouble coming up with a pre-match pep-talk."

"You're usually okay giving advice to us,"Lily pointed out.

"Yeah, I know, but it's not just you this time."

"Maybe you should pretend it is."

Albus thought about this for a moment then smiled. "Thanks." He led the pair into the dressing room. James, Martin, Angela and Natalie stood up and looked at him expectantly. "I don't need to tell you your roles,"he told them. "You've all played enough to know what you have to do and to know how good you are. So just go out there and do what you've always done and they won't stand a chance." He looked round and was relieved to see their expressions all looked positive. "Come on."

* * *

Harry and Hermione were sitting with Ron and Neville in the stands. Rose was a few seats in front of them, with some of the Gryffindor girls from her year. "What do you think of the team this year?"Ron asked Neville.

"Hey, not up to me to choose it,"Neville reminded him. "You know Hugo got in?"

Hermione nodded, pleased. "He wrote to us."

"He certainly looks happy about it,"Harry noted, nodding to where the Gryffindor team were taking their places. He managed to wave to James, Albus, Lily and Hugo as they flew past. Suddenly, over half the team was related to him.

Albus flew to the centre and shook hands with Matthew Stone, his opposite number who was now in his last year like James and Martin. Then he took up his position and the game began.

Albus' team talk seemed to have done its work. The Gryffindor team were attacking with a new vitality and Peter Lenoir in the Slytherin goal was almost under siege, with his Chasers unable to get the quaffle back from the opposing players. James and Martin had the bludgers under control and were managing to pelt them so they stopped the opposition interfering. "To your left, Martin!"Neville shouted and smiled as his son hit the bludger in the direction indicated, causing Matthew to veer away from an intended interception.

Lily scooted under the Slytherin defence and hurled the quaffle through one of the hoops. The Gryffindor crowd led out a loud cheer, with Harry almost drowning the rest of the supporters out. But a moment later, Slytherin were on the attack, bearing down on Hugo's goal.

"I can't look,"Hermione moaned, burying her head in her hands. Harry and Ron both nudged her and she looked up just in time to see Hugo clear the ball. She screamed in delight, hugging both Harry and Ron.

While all this was going on, Albus and Scorpius were involved in the private duel of the Seekers. Both were hovering out of the way of the main play, keeping an eye out for the snitch. Scorpius spotted it hovering near the ground and dived. James spotted the dive and aimed a bludger in his direction. He had intended it to merely fly across his path and cause him to pull up, but instead it caught him a glancing blow on the arm.

Rose stood up. "You idiot, James, that's the father of my child!"she shouted. The entire stand swung round to look at her. She reddened and Ron and Hermione grimaced before looking at her sympathetically. "Well, he is,"she concluded before sitting down again.

Scorpius had managed to recover from the blow and was back scanning the pitch. Then he spotted it. Albus did too and they both dived. A bludger flew between them and they both swerved but Scorpius managed to swerve in the same direction the snitch was travelling and grabbed it out of the air.

The Slytherin crowd went wild as the commentator announced they'd won the game by 180 to 80. Rose stood up and applauded, trying to ignore the fact that every set of eyes in the stand was focused on her.

* * *

Rose paced back and forth in the corridor outside the Slytherin common room. Every now and then she heard another cheer from inside, indicating the Slytherins were still celebrating their victory. She heard footsteps behind her and turned to see Apollo Zabini, Scorpius' cousin and one of the Slytherin Chasers, approaching with a crate of butterbeer. He stopped and looked at her, his expression unreasonable.

"Have you heard?"she asked.

"About your announcement? I think the entire school's heard by now." He nodded towards the common room. "You want to see Scorpius?" She nodded. "Better come on then." He led the way to the door. "Peverell,"he stated, giving the password, and the door swung open.

Rose followed him inside. She saw Scorpius chattering with a group of his housemates, who seemed to be congratulating him on his play. Then people began to notice Rose's presence and a quiet began to descend. Several of the girls, including Zara Mills, were glaring openly at her.

Scorpius noticed her as well. He went over and kissed her softly, putting his arm round her shoulder, and led her into a quiet corner.

The conversation picked up again, the Slytherins too busy with their celebration to start an argument. Rose cuddled close to her boyfriend. She had a feeling things would get difficult soon, but for now she felt safe.


	11. Chapter 11: Weathering the Storm

**I picked up another favourite so thank you, that person!**

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CHAPTER ELEVEN: Weathering the Storm

Rose and Scorpius walked towards Transfiguration class, hand in hand. Several students looked at them and muttered to their friends in whispered tones. "Ignore them,"Scorpius said quietly.

When they entered the classroom, they quickly saw that there weren't two seats together anywhere. It almost looked like it was planned. Scorpius gave her a helpless look and went to sit next to Apollo. Rose looked around for Albus but he was already sitting with Owen. She noticed a spare seat next to Jacqui Langer, one of the girls in her dorm, and went to sit there.

Jacqui put a hand on the chair, stopping her from sitting down. "Don't sit next to me. I don't know where you've been."

"Yes you do,"Zara pointed out nastily to giggles from several other classmates.

Rose looked around. Scorpius seemed to be trying to draw his wand but Apollo had a firm grip on his arm. Albus stood up. "Leave her alone."

"Well, you've got to say that,"Zara retorted. "She's your cousin or sister or whatever weird set-up you've got going on these days."

It was at that moment that Ernie entered and took in the scene. "What's going on? Rose, sit down."

"Jacqui won't let me,"Rose said quietly.

Ernie turned his attention to the offending Gryffindor girl. "Why not, Jacqui?"

"Why's she even here?"Jacqui complained.

"Because she's a student at this school, like the rest of you."

"_We're_ not pregnant,"Zara protested. "She's just going to drop out when she has the kid, why can't she go now?"

"Well, that's up to her and the board. At the moment, she's a member of this class, so let her sit down, Jacqui."

Jacqui reluctantly removed her hand and Rose dropped into the chair. But the way Jacqui kept glaring at her meant it didn't feel like much of a triumph.

* * *

"Where are we going?"Rose asked as she hurried after Hugo through the school grounds.

"We need to talk,"Hugo answered without looking back or slowing his pace.

Rose was slightly bemused; her brother wasn't exactly known for talking that much. Then she realised the direction they were heading in. "We're going to Hagrid's hut, aren't we?" Hugo didn't answer. Rose sighed. She liked Hagrid but he wasn't someone she'd normally choose to confide in.

Hagrid held the door open as they approached, a welcoming smile on his face. "Come in, come in. Find somewhere to park yerself. I'll, er, clear some room." He shifted piles of wood off the chairs to make room for them.

Rose sank into one of the seats, still not entirely sure she should be there. Hugo also sat down, looking hopeful.

Hagrid leaned back in a chair. "So, I hear yer've been having some trouble lately." Rose shrugged. "Can I maybe give yer some advice?"

Rose couldn't help glaring at him. "Why, have you ever been pregnant?"

"Well, ah, no." Hagrid thought for a moment. "But I know what it's like to be pointed and stared at. I was the big kid when I was here. The one everyone laughed at. The half-breed. Didn't really have no-one apart from Dumbledore. No friends."

"Is that supposed to be comforting?"

"Yes!"Hagrid replied loudly, pointing a finger at her. "Because yer have got friends! And what yer need to do is to listen to those friends, ignore all the wretches who aren't worth listening to and concentrate on them. And maybe that way yer won't feel so bad."

Rose found herself smiling. "Actually…that is kind of comforting."

Hagrid smiled back. As did Hugo.

* * *

James watched from the window of the heads' tower as Rose and Hugo returned to the castle. They seemed to be smiling and joking. He was relieved. Rose had seemed to be entering some form of depression the last few days. It was good to see her looking more herself.

"So that was what you were talking about?"asked a voice behind him. James turned round. He hadn't even been aware that Susannah was there. "The pregnancy?"

James nodded. "I would have told you but it wasn't really my secret to tell."

"I understand. And I understand you wanting to protect your sister."

James gave a slight laugh. "Yeah, I have a hard time thinking of her like that sometimes but I guess she is."

"I hope you've told her not to worry about what a few idiots are saying."

"Someone's told her. I'm not really good at that sort of thing."

Susannah nodded. "Well, if you need help…I'm here."

* * *

Slughorn's office was somewhat crowded: Not only was the headmaster himself there but also Harry, Hermione, Ron, Neville and, largely for moral support, Ernie. "Since your daughter's pregnancy became common knowledge, there's been a number of…incidents,"Slughorn admitted. "Disturbances."

"You mean our daughter's being bullied?"Hermione asked.

There was a pause before Ernie answered,"Yes."

"And what are you doing about it?"

"The teachers have been instructed to give Rose every support,"Slughorn told them defensively. "And to discipline the culprits as they see fit. But it is causing problems."

"You did say there was no chance of Rose being forced to leave school,"Harry reminded him.

"Ah, yes, and that's still the case."

"What about the boy?"Ron asked, apparently still reluctant to say Scorpius' name. "Is his family getting called in like this?"

"I am in regular contact with Mrs Malfoy but, rightly or wrongly, Rose is the one bearing the brunt of the students' behaviour."

"Scorpius does stick up for her though,"Neville interjected. "All her friends do."

"I simply want to make sure,"Slughorn continued,"that you still feel remaining at Hogwarts is the best thing for Rose or whether you wish her to continue her education elsewhere."

Hermione looked at both Ron and Harry, who gave her nods in reply. "We want her to stay,"she said.

Slughorn sighed. "Then we will continue to do our best to make sure things run smoothly."

"Can I speak to Rose?"Ron asked.

"Ah, yes, of course, I'll show you,"Slughorn agreed.

As the headmaster left, Harry looked round at Hermione, Neville and Ernie. "Almost makes having to deal with a plan to wipe out all the muggleborns and half-bloods in the country seem easy."


	12. Chapter 12: Home Raiders

CHAPTER TWELVE: Home Raiders

The fact that nothing had happened since the falium raid meant it was easy to get complacent so Harry had made sure to call a meeting of the Order simply to keep everyone alert. Ron, Hermione, Luna, Seamus, Hannah, Teddy and Victoire had all turned up at Grimmauld Place and were grouped around a map. "We've been checking out all those other spots night and day,"Seamus claimed. "All the haxron and klind and whatever. There's been no sign of Death Eaters anywhere."

"Could they maybe have come when we weren't there?"Hermione suggested.

Hannah shook her head. "Every time we search a place, we do a thorough sweep for any sign of magical intervention or extraction. There's no ore missing from any of the locations."

"Could they have already got what they want?"Teddy asked.

"I've been thinking that myself,"Harry agreed. "It's not a pleasant thought."

"We agreed that the falium was no use to them on its own,"Hermione argued.

"There could be a stream somewhere that we don't know about,"Luna remarked airily.

Hermione bit her lip, suddenly tense. "You're right, there could be."

"But if they've got everything they want,"Victoire argued,"why haven't they done anything?"

"Maybe because they haven't had enough time,"Luna suggested. "It must take an awfully long time to put it all together."

"Right again,"Harry agreed. "We know so little about this Purification Device and what it does."

"Parvati and Padma are still searching for every scrap of information they can find,"Ron stated. "Maybe if we knew what it was we'd know where to find it and how to stop it."

"But what do we do in the meantime?"Seamus asked.

"Carry on what we've been doing,"Harry decided. "We don't know for sure that they've got everything they want. If the Death Eaters are lying low and waiting until we've given up patrols in order to make another raid, we're going to look pretty stupid if we stop and that's when they strike. Otherwise, we've all just got to keep our eyes and ears open."

* * *

James, Albus, Hugo and Lily were standing in a guard pattern around Rose and Scorpius as they approached the Gryffindor common room. "You don't have to do this,"Rose told them quietly.

"Hey, if anyone's got something to say to you, they can say it to us,"Albus replied.

The comment lifted Rose's heart for a second, but only for a second. As they approached the portal they saw Jake Tyler and Gerry Purnell, two of the sixth year Gryffindor boys, standing outside as if on guard. Their wands were drawn although at least they'd stopped short of pointing them at the group. "You're not coming in here,"Jake snapped.

"I've been in here loads of times,"Scorpius protested.

"You know the rules, Jake,"James admonished. "Members of other houses can come in if they've been invited."

"We don't mean Malfoy,"Jake snapped. "We mean her." He nodded towards Rose. "Jacqui and Nadia are fed up having to share a dorm with her when she's throwing up every five minutes. And the rest of us don't think we should have to share with her either."

"If you've got a problem with my sister, you'll have to deal with me,"Lily snapped back at him.

Jake laughed. "You really want to try something, titch?"

James placed his hand on his wand. If he ended up using it on one of the pair, he'd probably be stripped of his Head Boy status, but it would almost be worth it to wipe the smirks off their faces.

But at that moment, Martin and Owen emerged from the portal, wands raised. "What's going on, Tyler?" Martin demanded.

"Stay out of this, Longbottom,"Jake retorted.

"You start threatening my friends? I'm in it."

Jake turned round and pointed his wand at Martin…which was all the excuse he needed. "_Locomotor mortis_,"he snapped. Jake found his legs bound together and toppled to the floor.

Neville appeared at the end of the corridor. "What's going on here?"he demanded.

"He cursed me!"Jake shouted, nodding to Martin.

"They wouldn't let Rose into the common room,"Martin retorted.

"He's right, they wouldn't,"James agreed.

"Well what would we want her in with us?"Jake snarled. "She shouldn't be in with the other students after what she's done!"

"Martin, ten points from Gryffindor,"Neville announced. "Jake…fifty points from Gryffindor." He looked at Gerry. "And if I hear one word from you on the subject, it'll be another fifty points." He performed the appropriate counter-spell to free Jake. "And I want you to let your friends know that if any member of my house causes trouble for Rose Weasley again, they'll be on the train home. All of you inside except Martin."

The group did as instructed. Martin looked nervously at his father. Neville just smiled at him. "Well done."

Martin smiled back and headed inside.

His friends were waiting just inside the portal, Jake and Gerry having made themselves scarce. "Thanks, Martin,"Rose said gratefully.

Martin smiled. "Well, what are friends for?"

* * *

Harry let Hermione into the house ahead of him. "Do you think we're close to finding anything out?"she asked.

Harry shrugged. "I think at the moment we're basically just waiting for the Death Eaters to make a move."

"_Petrificus totalus_!"

Harry hadn't expected anyone to be in the house so the spell took him completely by surprise. He crashed to the ground, frozen in place. Hermione went for her wand but then two feminine voices shouted "_Stupefy_!" Both Stunning Spells hit her and she went down.

Four figures emerged from the shadows, wearing Death Eater robes but not bothering to hide their identities with masks: Draco Malfoy, Marcus Flint, Pansy Parkinson and Romilda Vane. Draco looked Harry over. "Good shot, Flint."

"You too, Malfoy."

"We'd better get him out of here quickly."

Flint stalked towards Hermione. "Just let me finish off the Mudblood first."

Harry felt mounting terror inside him, memories of finding Ginny's body causing him to desperately struggle against the paralysing spell: Another wife was about to be murdered in their home, this time right in front of him and not just Hermione but their unborn child as well. But then Draco grabbed hold of Flint's wand arm, while Pansy actually pointed her wand at him.

"You know our orders,"Pansy snapped. "No killing."

"When this is over, she's never going to be a threat to us again,"Draco stressed. "Wouldn't you rather see that happen to her than just kill her while she's unconscious?"

Flint thought for a moment then gave a sadistic grin and sheathed his wand.

Draco nodded to Romilda. "Bring him."

Romilda smiled and stalked over to Harry. The way she looked at him, her eyes lustful, made his skin crawl, as did the almost intimate way she seized hold of his leg. Then the whole group apparated, taking him with them and leaving the unconscious Hermione alone.


	13. Chapter 13: Together Again

**Whoops, bit late posting this one, slipped my mind. Picked up a new follower during the week so thank you to that person.**

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CHAPTER THIRTEEN: Together Again

When Hermione recovered, Ron, Neville and Luna were standing over her. For a moment, she breathed a sigh of relief, then the memories of what had happened just before she passed out hit her and she sat up straight. "Harry! Where's Harry?"

"We were hoping you could tell us,"Ron replied. "He wasn't here when we arrived."

"Someone triggered the alarms,"Neville explained. "We detected someone using stunning and body bind spells here and it wasn't yours or Harry's wand."

Hermione nodded. "Someone was here. They hit Harry first and then they stunned me. I didn't see who it was."

"It was Draco Malfoy,"Luna said casually. "He can be very mean at times."

Hermione looked at her in confusion. "How do you know that?"

"Well, there was this one time at school when he walked right into me in the corridor…"

"No, not how do you know he can be mean, how do you know it was him?"

Luna smiled. "Oh! I've just been carrying out a few detector spells I invented. They tell whose wand has been used around here recently. Draco cast a body bind spell and then he apparated out. Him and three others."

"Can you tell where they went?"Neville asked.

"No, I'm still working on that bit."

Hermione turned to Ron. "We need to get back to Grimmauld Place and alert the Order. Maybe between us we can work out where they've taken him."

Ron nodded. "Time to send out some patronuses."

* * *

A short time later, Ron and Hermione were standing in front of a group of Order members at Grimmauld Place. "So this is now urgent,"Ron told them. "They've got Harry and they wouldn't have done that unless they were about to try something. So we need to find him and them before whatever's going to happen happens."

"We don't have any more to go on than before,"Hermione admitted,"but maybe the urgency will make us work harder, get the adrenaline pumping."

"We've got something,"Parvati announced as she and Padma hurried in with a scroll.

"About Harry?"Hermione asked hopefully.

"No but we've got more details of the Purification Device." Parvati laid the scroll down on the table. It contained a detailed diagram.

Seamus suddenly appeared in the doorway. "Ah, Ron, Hermione, there's something you need to see. We've got a bit of a security breach."

Ron and Hermione made for the door. "Neville, Luna, look at the plan while we're gone,"Ron instructed.

They headed through into the living room where they were confronted by a group of defiant-looking youngsters staring at them. Hermione stared back in bewilderment. "Rose, Hugo, James, Albus, Lily, Martin, Emily, Scorpius…" She paused at the last, unfamiliar face. "Who are you?"

"Susannah,"came the answer.

"She's head girl,"James added by way of explanation.

Hermione carried on,"What are you doing here?"

"We heard Dad was in danger,"Lily explained.

"We really need better security,"Seamus sighed.

"How did you get in here?"Ron demanded.

"We used to live here,"Albus pointed out.

"We want to help,"Rose insisted.

"All of us,"Martin put in.

Hermione sighed. "You know what, we don't have time to argue. Come with me, we could use an extra pair of eyes."

* * *

Harry had recovered to find himself in a cellar, watched over by Rookwood, Yaxley and Flint, who all had their wands pointed at him. "Don't look at me funny, Potter,"Flint warned. "Or I'll use this."

Rookwood rolled his eyes. "Can you try not to be so lurid? It just makes you look foolish. Let him know Potter's recovered."

As Flint left, Harry looked at Rookwood. "Are you going to explain why I'm here or are you going to carry on being mysterious?"

"He'll explain,"Rookwood replied simply.

Harry wasn't surprised when he glanced at the stairs and saw Lucius Malfoy descending. With him were Draco, Pansy and Romilda. Harry sighed. "If I thought you were behind things this time, would I be mistaken?"

Lucius smiled, remembering, as Harry did, their last proper conversation at Riddle Mansion, when Lucius had provided a welcome party on behalf of Rodolphus Lestrange. "No, you're quite right this time, Mr Potter. I am behind everything."

"What happened to Hermione?"

"Your Muggle-blooded wife? I still have a hard time thinking of her as anything other than Miss Granger. I expect she's with your friends by now, telling them all about your disappearance."

Harry was confused. "Why did you bring me here?"

"Because, Mr Potter, I know that you are trying to thwart my plans. And I think that if you find out exactly what my plans are, you may change your mind."

Harry snorted. "I doubt that."

"We shall see." Lucius nodded to his followers. "Bring him."


	14. Chapter 14: The Purification Device

**Thank you to anyone who add this as a follow or favourite. I even got a review! From someone who thinks I haven't updated since July. Unfortunately, she wasn't logged in so I can't reply to her. Hopefully she'll find this anyway.**

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CHAPTER FOURTEEN: The Purification Device

"I imagine you have heard stories about the founding of Hogwarts,"Lucius remarked as they walked through stone-lined corridors.

Harry had been glancing around him during the walk. He had a nagging feeling that, wherever this was that he had been taken, it was somewhere he'd been before; certainly the building was large, as well as quite opulent. He was, he had to admit, slightly bemused by Lucius' treatment of him. The Death Eater was being almost conversational, with only the fact Draco, Pansy and Romilda were marching in step behind him, wands drawn, reminding him that he was a prisoner. He had noticed his own wand in Romilda's belt: She probably saw it as a trophy.

"I've heard stories,"he replied.

"You've probably heard the stories about Silas Slytherin as well,"Lucius continued. "How he believed Hogwarts should only be for those of wizarding heritage, those who had been brought up to understand their powers and our community. He was overruled and the gates were thrown open to freaks of nature, children of Muggles born with magic powers. For centuries we had been careful to hide our society, to protect our traditions. And then the Hogwarts founders chose to teach our most trusted secrets to outsiders, to train them to use magic as we would our own children. Slytherin feared this decision. He felt that one day these Muggle magic-users may turn on us, may try to harm our society."

"He was wrong,"Harry pointed out.

"No. He was right. Oh, they may not have formed an army against us, besieged our institutions, but they did far worse. They infiltrated us slowly, stealthily, taking over our offices, offices that should have been reserved for true wizards and witches. And these new Muggle-borns did not understand our society and so slowly they dismantle it, destroying everything we hold dear."

"Only now we can stop them,"Pansy said proudly. "We can take back our society."

Harry wanted to ask more questions but it was at that moment that Lucius threw open a nearby door and led them inside. The room contained a machine. Harry wasn't sure what he'd been expecting, even after seeing the diagrams. What was in front of him was a curious mixture of the mechanical and the magical, as high as a man and as long too, with the front part sloping downwards. It was laced with metal but there was no sign of circuitry. Set into one side was a slot roughly the size and shape of a wand.

"The Purification Device,"Lucius announced. "Silas Slytherin's last line of defence. He conceived it as a weapon against those of Muggle blood, to be used if they ever became a true threat to us. When activated, it will send out a field which will spread across the whole planet. It will only expire when it has touched every single person who possesses a magical core. And when it touches them, it will judge them. It will judge their purity. It is in tune with the heritage, with the blood, of all the ancient wizarding families. Only those who possess that blood and that blood only, who have not been weakened and contaminated by inbreeding with outsiders, will be judged worthy. The others…"

"Will die?"Harry asked bitterly.

Lucius sighed. "So quick to jump to conclusion. No, Harry. It will remove their magic, leave them as the ordinary Muggles they should have been. That is all. You grew up in the Muggle world. You, your wife and your children can return to that, live out your lives in your true society. Leave the magic to its true inheritors. I have tried to live in the world that your kind have created but it is time to reclaim our birthright. And I will do it in the kindest way possible. I don't want to kill the Muggle-borns or half-bloods. I simply want them to leave us alone. Is it really worth fighting me over that?"

"Yes,"Harry replied. "It's wrong, Lucius. You're deciding who has the right to have magic and who doesn't, according to your own beliefs. You're enforcing your will on the whole magical world. You talk as if you're acting on behalf of nature but it's nature that gave us magic and it's you that's going against it."

Lucius glared at him. "I really thought you might see reason. How foolish of me."

Harry looked around at the others present. "Draco, your son is in love with a half-blood."

Draco shrugged. "He'll find someone better."

"She's carrying his child, Draco. Your grandchild. If this plan goes ahead, that child will be born without magic, will not be a part of your world."

Draco looked shocked and torn but Lucius placed a hand on his shoulder. "We must all make sacrifices for what is right, Draco."

Pansy linked her arm with his. "Think what sort of life Scorpius would have with the stigma of a half-blood child. Better to let it grow up away from him so he can marry a proper witch."

Harry saw Draco's resolve return and sighed. "I'm going to do everything I can to stop you,"he announced. "And so will my friends, my family."

"Yes,"Lucius agreed. "I can see that. So you must remain our guest until all this is over. In just a few hours, the Purification Device will be fully charged with magical energy and then I will activate."

"You're going to lock me away again?"

"No. I think Romilda would like to entertain you."

Romilda smiled and raised her wand. "_Imperio_."

If Harry had had his wand or been ready or been less exhausted mentally, he might have blocked or thrown off the spell. As it was, he was completely under her enchantment in an instant. She smiled and beckoned to him and he followed her out of the chamber.


	15. Chapter 15: Harry the Slave

**Well, I picked up another follow and favourite...and a review! Huge thank you to that person, suddenly I feel popular...**

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CHAPTER FIFTEEN: Harry the Slave

Harry lay on the bed in Romilda's room. There was a fixed smile on his face, his mind still blissed out by the influence of the Imperius curse.

Romilda walked around the room, mixing together a potion from various ingredients she had scattered around. "I've been working on potions quite a bit over the years,"she remarked to her captive audience. "Do you remember that one your friend drank at Hogwarts? That ended up being pretty potent. If only you'd drunk it, then you'd have seen back then that you were meant for me and all this unpleasantness would have been avoided. Still, we can finally put a stop to that now." She completed the potion and sat down on the bed, raising the cup to Harry's lips. "Drink this." Harry did as instructed and Romilda picked up her wand, lifting the Imperius curse.

Harry's eyes focused on her and he smiled. "Romilda,"he said softly.

Romilda smiled with delight at the way he said her name. She leaned over and kissed him softly. Harry returned the kiss with a passion she hadn't dared dream of. He pulled her towards him and flipped their bodies so he was lying on top of her, his desire for her finally equal to hers for him. Their clothes were quickly discarded as Romilda Vane finally achieved her decades-long ambition: Becoming the lover of Harry Potter.

* * *

"_Reducto_!"Lily snapped. Her spell blasted a chunk out of one of the tin mugs they were using for practise and she smiled, pleased at her success.

Seamus, along with Neville, was directing her, Albus, Hugo, Martin and Susannah in the training session. He patted her on the shoulder. "Well done. All right, Hugo, you try."

Ron had appeared surreptitiously in the doorway during the conversation. He caught Neville's eye and indicated for him to come over. "How are they doing?"he asked quietly.

"It's keeping them distracted,"Neville replied. "Which is the idea, right? Stop them worrying about Harry?" Ron nodded. "You got any ideas how to stop me worrying?"

"We've got our best minds working on it."

"Hermione and Rose, right?"

"Luna and Emily are having some input too."

Neville nodded. "Should be all right then,"he said, not too convincingly, before going back to the children.

Ron headed back into the study, where Hermione, Rose, James, Luna, Emily, Scorpius, Ernie, Parvati and Padma were all crowded around the newly-acquired scrolls. "I'm not really understanding this," Parvati complained. She looked at her sister. "I'm right, aren't I?"

"About what?"James asked.

"The magic involved in this device is powerful,"Padma answered. "Very powerful. But…it's not all that dark. I don't think we're talking mass murder here."

"That's not the important thing,"Hermione snapped.

"Then what is?"asked Ernie.

"Finding out where this thing is. And what they need to complete it."

"The device needs to be coated with falium,"Rose mused.

"Which you said the Death Eaters have already got,"Emily added.

Hermione nodded. "So they'll have already coated it. But they need another metal to channel the magics."

"It's haxron,"Rose concluded.

Hermione looked at her in surprise. "Are you sure?"

"Yes, look at the conductors here. They're clearly designed to conduct haxron magics."

"You're right!"Hermione realised. "Which means either they need haxron or they need to place the device on the site of a haxron stream. Probably the latter."

"But we've searched all the haxrom streams,"Ernie argued. "We've been keeping an eye on them. There's nothing there."

"There's a stream at Malfoy Mansion,"Scorpius told them.

Everyone turned and looked at him. "Are you sure?"Ron asked.

Scorpius nodded. "Grandad used to call it his secret stash, for if the family fell on hard times. He was going to mine it and sell it."

"But…your mum's living there, isn't she? Are we saying she's mixed up on this?"

"Mum isn't there,"Scorpius replied. "Grandad, Grandad Greengrass I mean, bought her a new place last summer, she was worried about living in a home associated with dark magics, she thought it wasn't good for appearances. And she was worried that, with the marriage bond with Dad broken, the house wouldn't recognise her as a Malfoy anymore. She even brought the servants with her to the new place. The mansion is completely empty now."

Ron looked at Hermione, both of them thinking the same thing. "That's where they are,"Hermione realised.

Ron led the way back into the front room. "We're going to Malfoy Mansion,"he announced to Neville and Seamus.

"We're going with you,"James said behind him.

Ron turned to him, his expression suggesting he wasn't keen on the idea.

"We helped defend Hogwarts,"Albus argued. "We captured Lockhart."

"I faced Voldemort's ghost,"James added, choosing not to mention how scared he'd been at the time.

Ron's gaze rested on Lily and Hugo. "You two aren't going. I mean it." Lily looked like she was sulking slightly. Hugo's reactions were more of a mixture, torn between feeling he should be help and being relieved that no-one actually wanted him to. Ron turned his attention to Rose. "Are you sure you don't want to stay behind? In your condition…"

"It's Uncle Harry,"Rose answered. "I'm going."

Ron turned to Scorpius. "What about you? You want to risk your child growing up without a father?"

"It's my family,"Scorpius pointed out. "They won't kill me."

"They might, if they don't recognise you in time. And they've got some friends who definitely would."

Scorpius' expression remained unchanged. Ron sighed in acqueisance.

Luna looked at Martin and Emily, who both wore determined expressions as well. "I'm sure you'll both do very well,"she told them.

Ron turned to Susannah. "Are you volunteering too?" She nodded. "All right then. Parvati, you and Padma stay here and keep an eye on Lily and Hugo. I don't want them getting any ideas about following us. The rest of us, time to go."

As the group filed out, Hermione spoke quietly to Ron. "Do you think we'll manage to do this? Rescue Harry and stop the Purification Device?"

Ron shrugged.

Hermione sighed. "Yeah, that's what I thought."


	16. Chapter 16: Attack on the Mansion

**Thank you to anyone who's added this as a follow!**

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CHAPTER SIXTEEN: Attack on the Mansion

The taskforce comprising Ron, Hermione, Neville, Luna, Seamus, Ernie, James, Albus, Rose, Scorpius, Martin, Emily and Susannah apparated in some distance from Malfoy Mansion, close enough to spy on it but far enough away that they wouldn't set off any anti-apparation spells or alarms. Ron glanced at Scorpius. "Have you got that map?"

Scorpius handed over a piece of parchment. Ron had had him produce a map of Malfoy Mansion. "That section there is closest to the haxron stream,"he explained, pointing to a section of the map.

"Where's Dad likely to be?"James asked.

"The dungeons?"Ron suggested.

"Maybe,"Scorpius said uncertainly. "But there's lots of guest rooms in this wing here. They're easy to secure so he might be in one of them."

Hermione nodded. "Once we get inside, I'll check them out."

"We still need to get inside,"Ron reminded her.

"We should probably start with worrying about getting past those two guards,"Luna noted airily.

Most of those present stared at her, except Neville. "She notices these things,"he explained.

Seamus cast a Revealing Charm that allowed him to see through the mansion gates. "It's Rookwood and Taxley,"he told the others.

Ron nodded. "Then we need to take care of them first." He looked over the group. "Neville, Ernie."

The two fell into step with him as they led the way to the mansion gates. Hermione cast an opening charm but it failed to work. "There's some strong magic protecting this place."

James looked at Scorpius. "You used to live here, you're a Malfoy. Do you think you could open it?"

"I used to be able to,"Scorpius confirmed. "Unless they've changed the protection spells since I was last here…"

"Try it,"Ron told him. "We'll be ready."

Scorpius pointed his wand at the gate and muttered an incantation. Immediately, the gate vanished. Rookwood and Yaxley barely had time to react before Ron, Neville and Ernie loosed off a set of stunning spells which knocked them unconscious.

The group ran to stand over the defeated pair. "Someone's going to notice this,"Albus pointed out.

Ron nodded. "So we need to move fast."

"Get in, find Harry, find the Purification Device and stop the Death Eaters from using it,"Neville suggested.

"That's the plan,"Ron agreed.

"What do we do with them?"Martin asked, gesturing to the two unconscious Death Eaters.

Ron thought for a moment. "Rose, Scorpius, stay here and guard them."

"But…but…" Rose protested.

"You're going to be a family,"Ron reminded her. "Keep yourselves safe and keep that baby safe." He decided not to mention that he still wasn't sure Scorpius would use spells against his own family.

"I'm going to check out that guest wing,"Hermione noted, rushing off before anyone could stop her.

Ron checked the map. "This hall here is where they'll be meeting if anywhere. So Neville, Luna, Seamus, Ernie and I will go there."

"What about the rest of us?"James asked.

"You, Albus, Martin and Emily check out the dungeons, see if Harry's there."

"What about me?"Susannah asked. "Am I on guard duty as well?"

Ron had, in truth, forgotten about her. He considered leaving her behind or sending her with James or even sending her after Hermione. But she was an untested element and that meant keeping a close eye on her. "Come with us."

* * *

Romilda lay relaxed in Harry's arms, the bedsheets covering them. It had been everything she had dreamed of: He had proved quite an energetic and willing lover. She looked round at him lying docile and kissed him, her heart skipping as he responded eagerly, her body quivering in anticipation of him making love to her again…

Then the alarms sounded.

Romilda sprang to her feet, pulling the sheets around her as she scurried to retrieve her clothes. She saw Harry lying where she'd left him, a confused look on his face. "Get dressed,"she snapped at him. "And get your wand! You might have to protect us!" If Harry's friends were on their way, she doubted they would accept him with her.

The threat to her safety instantly galvanised Harry into action and he struggled to put his clothes back on. They had only just got dressed and got their wands ready when Hermione came racing into the room. She stopped when she saw Harry and breathed a sigh of relief, training her wand on Romilda. "Harry, thank goodness, are you all right?"

Romilda shrank back towards Harry, who put his arm round her protectively. Hermione gaped at the sight and then her gaze took in the rest of the room: The romantic décor, the many potion bottles, their muffed clothing and the scattered bedsheets. She gave Romilda a disgusted look, bile rising in her mouth. "What have you done to him, you sick cow?"

"I've finally showed him what a real woman's like,"Romilda snapped. "He's wasted years on you and that Weasley brat. He should have been mine!"

Hermione had never wanted to hurt anyone more than she did in that moment. "_Excrucio_!"she snapped, blasting Romilda with a Stinging Jinx that sent pain searing through the other woman's body. Then, to her shock and horror, Harry flicked his wand and placed a shield in the path of the spell.

Romilda took a step back, crouching for cover behind the bed. "Stop her, Harry! She wants to hurt me!"

Hermione looked at Harry, the man she loved, trying desperately to see some spark of recognition, of fondness in his eyes. But instead his expression was set and determined. Was he actually going to do what Romilda said? "Harry…it's me…"

Harry's response was to aim his wand at her and loose off a spell. "_Impedimenta_!"


	17. Chapter 17: The Battle of Malfoy Mansion

**I seem to have picked up two more favourites on the last chapter so thank you to those people!**

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CHAPTER SEVENTEEN: The Battle of Malfoy Mansion

The spell slammed Hermione back into the wall. She gave a gasp of shock. In all the years they'd known each other, she'd never once imagined she might end up having to fight Harry. "Harry, it's me, your wife!"she protested. She saw him preparing to hurl another spell and leapt to her right, letting it crash harmlessly into the wall. She aimed a spell at him. "_Expelliarmus_!"

Harry dodged the spell and fired back at her. "_Sectumsempra_!"

Hermione took cover behind a chest of drawers. Her heart was racing. Harry wasn't just fighting her, he was trying to hurt her, to injure her. Whatever part of his mind was in love with her was obviously lost in the effects of the potion. But there was something else, something Romilda didn't know about. "I'm carrying your _child_, Harry!"she shouted. "You're trying to hurt your _child_!"

That struck a chord. She saw Harry hesitate, the certainty with which he'd been attacking her gone. She stepped into view, giving both of them a clear shot at each other and still he didn't fire. So she did. "_Petrificus totalis_!"

She winced as Harry fell like a stone. Romilda tried to run for the door but Hermione was too quick. "_Levicorpus_!" The spell lifted Romilda off her feet and slammed her into the wall. Hermione held her there for a moment. She'd never used the Cruciatus Curse on anyone in her life but at that moment she was as tempted as she'd ever been. Instead, she let Romilda fall to the floor, quickly hitting her with a Stunning Spell followed by Incacerous, leaving her unconscious and tied up.

Then Hermione turned her attention to Harry. He lay there, still paralysed but conscious. She had no time to try and make a counter-potion. The only way she could get him back was to help him fight off the effects of the spell himself. She got as close to him as she could and aimed the wand. "_Legilimens_,"she whispered.

Her mind linked with Harry's, seeing his thoughts. The surface was filled with Romilda and she pushed her way through it. She found memories that had been buried. Memories of his children, of James, Albus and Lily. Memories of lifelong friends, herself, Ron, Neville, Luna, Seamus, Ernie, George, Hannah, Parvati, Padma… Memories of those who had died doing what was right, of his parents, of Sirius and Remus, of Dumbledore, McGonagall, Dean, Cedric, Tonks, Fred, Dobby, Bill, Fleur, Colin, Lavender, Justin, Susan, Kreacher…Ginny. Memories of his true life and the people he really loved.

She lifted the petrifying spell. Harry stared at her with clear eyes, then he grabbed her and kissed her, one of the most passionate kisses she'd experienced in her life. She surrendered to it for a few minutes, then gasped and pulled free. "Harry…"

She looked into his eyes and saw the guilt etched there. "Hermione, I…"

She shook her head. "It doesn't matter. Harry, Ron and the others are here too. We think Lucius is going to activate the Purification Device here."

"He is,"Harry confirmed. "I know where it is. And I know what it's going to do." He scrambled to his feet, helping Hermione up as well.

Hermione swayed on her feet and sat down heavily on the bed. "I…think I've had a bit too much exertion for my condition."

Harry nodded. "Wait here. Rest. I need to stop him."

* * *

James led Albus, Martin and Emily down the steps towards the dungeons. "Are we sure we're going the right way?"Martin asked.

"We're following the map,"Albus pointed out.

"Well, what if the map's wrong?"

"Scorpius drew it,"Emily reminded him testily. "He lived here for most of his life. I think he'd know."

"Maybe they've moved things around since then."

"Quiet, all of you,"James hissed. "I think there's someone ahead."

He poked his head around a corner of the stone-lined corridor and was greeted with a shout of "_Crucio_!" He quickly pulled his head back as the curse slammed into the wall.

"I think it's Pansy Parkinson,"he told the others. "The one that pretended to be Professor Havelock." During Pansy's time as a member of the Hogwarts staff, under an assumed name and using an appearance borrowed from an anonymous muggle, James had briefly seen her true form when her Polyjuice potion wore off, later identifying her from old school photographs.

"What do we do?"Albus asked.

"Get her?"James suggested.

The initial response was bewilderment. But then Emily nodded in agreement. They all poked their heads round the corner and unleashed a set of Disarming spells. Pansy drew back, avoiding the fusilade, before returning fire. The duel was on.

* * *

Lucius, Narcissa and Draco Malfoy, along with Marcus Flint, were in the main hall, the sound of alarms ringing around them. Draco clutched Lucius' arm. "It's Potter's friends, Dad! They're coming!"

"Be calm, Draco,"Lucius said quietly. "In a few minutes, the Purification Device will contain a strong enough magical core to be used. And then Potter will find himself very short of friends who can stand against us."

It was at that moment that Ron, Neville, Luna, Seamus, Ernie and Susannah came hurrying in. "Where's the Purification Device, Malfoy?"Ron demanded.

"Not here,"Lucius stated simply.

"Well, we're going to find it,"Neville retorted.

"You might find that difficult." Lucius nodded to his wife and son and all three raised their wands. "_Protego_."

A shield sprang up in front of the Order members, a shield that not only prevented them from approaching the three Malfoys but also blocked their path towards the door at the far end of the hall. Flint seemed to consider joining in with the shield casting for a moment, then he instead ran out of another door, to the side of the room.

"He's mine,"Seamus declared, running after his old nemesis. Ron saw the Malfoys turn as if to stop him and cast a shield charm of his own, deflecting the curses. Seamus disappeared from view.

* * *

Flint had run without much thought as to where he would end up, which was probably why he had found himself stood on a balcony overlooking a sheer drop. He considered apparating but by then Seamus was on him. The pair aimed their wands at each other. "Let me go and we'll say no more about it,"Flint stated.

"We're way past that,"Seamus told him.

Flint shrugged. "_Avada Kedavra_!"

Seamus dived to one side, letting the Killing Curse pass through the space where he'd been standing, before loosing off his own spell. "_Stupefy_!" The spell caught Flint squarely in the chest. His expression froze in shock and then he toppled backwards, straight over the edge of the balcony.

Seamus ran to the side, half-expecting to see Flint apparate as he had done in similar circumstances during the escape from Azkaban. Instead, he saw Flint's body smashed on the ground below.

Maybe Dean would rest a bit easier now.

* * *

Ron had to admit the Malfoys' tactics were sound. A straight duel would have seen them overwhelmed easily. Instead, the Death Eaters were concentrating solely on defence, easily repelling everything that was thrown at them and preventing the Order members from getting any closer.

Lucius turned to Narcissa. "It's time. Keep them here."

Narcissa nodded. "Of course, my dearest."

Lucius gave her a quick kiss on the cheek and patted Draco on the shoulder before hurrying through the door at the far end.

Ron was torn. Should he try and force a way through, leave the others behind? Or should he stay here and hope someone else found another way?

The decision was taken by a commanding voice behind him. "Get me a way through."

Ron looked round and saw Harry. And he knew in that instant what he had to do. He pointed his wand at Narcissa and Draco. "_Confringo_."

Neville, Luna, Ernie and Susannah got the idea and cast the same spell, adding to the onslaught on the Malfoys' shield. They wouldn't be able to keep it up for long, certainly not long enough to get through the shield. But for the moment, Narcissa and Draco had to concentrate all their energy on protecting themselves. The shield contracted…and now there was a way across the hall.

Harry ran through the far door after Lucius.


	18. Chapter 18: A Time for Purification

**Sorry for the delay, I'm currently without a computer and having to edit and upload this round my parents'.**

* * *

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN: A Time For Purification

Harry knew where he was going but so did Lucius. More so, in fact, since it was Lucius' family home, plus he had a head start. Harry pelted down the corridors after the older man, heading for the room where the Purification Device was kept.

Lucius was nearly out of breath when he reached the room but he didn't stop. He dived towards the device, plunging his wand into the slot. "_Excitant_!"he shouted.

Harry entered the room a moment later but it was too late. Energy was beginning to build around the device. He aimed his wand at Lucius. "Make it stop."

Lucius shook his head. "Nothing will stop it now, Potter. Not you, not me. In less than five minutes, the Purification Device will spend out its wave throughout the world and take the power of those who do not deserve it. At last the wizarding world will be pure."

Harry looked at him in disgust. "_Stupefy_!" It was a pointless victory but he took a certain pleasure in seeing Lucius slump unconscious to the floor. He gazed at the device helplessly…and an idea occurred to him. Utterly insane but it might just work. He turned towards the door he had just come through and pointed his wand. "_Expecto patronum_!"

* * *

James, Albus, Martin and Emily were still in their stand-off with Pansy, exchanging spells around the corner of the dungeon corridor. Emily suddenly grabbed her boyfriend's sleeve. "James. Look."

James turned round and saw what she had seen. A silvery stag was galloping down the steps behind them. With a start, he realised it was a patronus. And then, an even greater shock: It spoke with his father's voice. "_All of you, get out of the mansion! Meet round the front entrance!_" Then it galloped away to deliver its message elsewhere.

James turned to the others. "Well, come on, do as it says!" They all raced back up the steps.

* * *

Rose and Scorpius remained at the front of the mansion. Rookwood and Yaxley were still unconscious but they had decided to cast a binding spell on them just in case, to make sure they didn't go anywhere. However, they were somewhat shocked when Ron, Hermione, Neville, Luna, Ernie, James, Albus, Martin, Emily and Susannah all came running out of the mansion. "What's going on?"Rose asked.

"We got a message from Harry,"Hermione explained, slightly breathless. "He told us to get out of the mansion and meet here."

It was at that point that Harry came running out, incongrously carrying four brooms that he'd grabbed during his exit. "We need a shield charm,"he told them. "The biggest we've ever done. The Purification Device is about to activate."

"And it'll kill us?"Hermione asked.

Harry shook his head. "It's not death. If the purification wave spreads, it'll strip all non-purebloods of their magic." He saw the understanding on the faces of the others. "So we need to contain it. Ron, Albus, Emily, Scorpius" – he threw each of them a broom in turn – "get up high and cast the charm from above." The four clambered on the brooms and took off. "Seamus is already at the rear of the mansion. We need to surround it. The mansion needs to be encased completely, even underground. We can't leave any avenue for the wave to escape."

Neville and Martin ran one way, Luna and Susannah ran the other, taking up positions surrounding the mansion. Harry stood at the front with Hermione, Ernie, James and Rose. He looked round at each of them. They knew he was asking a lot. They also knew they needed to do it. Harry raised his hand and pointed it at the mansion. "_Protego_!"

* * *

Pansy hurried into the bedroom where she knew Harry had been taken to, hoping to still find him there. Instead she was greeted by Romilda tied up in a corner. "What happened?"she demanded. "Where's Potter?"

"Granger turned up,"Romilda answered. "She did this to me. Took Harry away from me. Then a patronus appeared and told her to leave the mansion and she ran off."

Pansy was severely tempted to just leave Romilda where she was. The other woman might be a pureblood but her obsession with Harry was so twisted that Pansy would have asked to have her sent away long ago if Draco hadn't convinced her to keep quiet. But given Pansy had had difficulty overcoming a group of teenagers, she knew she'd need backup if she ran into any of the Order members. "_Diffindo_,"she snapped, severing the ropes and helping Romilda to her feet. "Come on."

* * *

Harry's arm was aching from the power flowing through him. Next to him, Hermione, Ernie, James and Rose were keeping up the same stream, their tiny individual shields growing in size and linking together with those being cast by their friends, around and above the mansion, even digging into the soil to form a complete bubble around the building. It was working but Harry wasn't sure how long for.

Then from inside the bubble there came a blinding flash of light. It filled the interior of the shield, pushing against it. Harry gasped and steeled himself, willing the shield to stay in place. Around him, the others did the same. And then, just when it looked like they couldn't hold on any longer, the energy dissipated.

Harry ended the incantation and the shield vanished. Slowly, the others trickled round from their positions to join his group at the front of the mansion. "So what happens now?"Ron asked.

Harry nodded towards the mansion entrance. "I think we're about to find out."

Lucius, Draco, Narcissa, Pansy and Romilda came walking down the steps from the mansion. Lucius' face was black as thunder. "Very clever, Potter,"he snarled. "But don't think you've won. The Purification Device will be charged up and ready to use again in a few hours. And you're not the only one that can cast shield charms. But first, I'm going to teach you a lesson. _Crucio_!"

Harry braced himself to dodge and block the curse…but he didn't need to. Nothing happened. Lucius pointed his wand at him again and again, bewildered at the lack of a response. Behind him, Draco, Narcissa, Pansy and Romilda all drew their wands and tried to cast spells at the Order members, with a similar lack of effect.

Harry raised his own wand. "_Levicorpus_!" A second later, Lucius was in the air, flailing around wildly, at the mercy of Harry's spell, as helpless to alter his position as the muggles he'd tormented with the same spell decades before.

"Stop it!"Scorpius shouted in distress.

Harry felt a stab of shame. Whatever Lucius was and had done, he was still the boy's grandfather; tormenting him in front of him was bound to have an effect. He slowly lowered Lucius to the ground. His gaze flickered over the rest of the Death Eaters. Narcissa looked utterly bereft. Draco and Pansy were holding onto each other comfortingly. Romilda had actually started crying. He looked back at Lucius, a shadow of the man he had once been.

"I guess you weren't pure enough,"he said simply.


End file.
